The U.S. needs to end years of debates about space regulatory reforms in favor of making decisions about issues such as who has mission authorization, according to Aerospace Corp. In a series of space policy papers Thursday, it also said the next presidential administration must make several space spectrum choices early in its term. Space spectrum matters that will demand attention, it said, include spectrum for lunar surface and lunar orbit communications and inter-satellite links from geostationary orbit to other orbits. It said there's a need for multi-orbit, multi-mission capable commercial terminals across various satellite constellations that will support the need for greater connectivity in the Arctic.

No perfect formula exists that addresses interference between non-geostationary orbit systems and so none will receive universal industry support, Telesat said Tuesday in docket 21-456. It said there's consensus on most issues in the proceeding, including use of a degraded throughput methodology to assess interference between NGSO systems. Telesat backed SpaceX's approach and argued against needing a Further NPRM, as O3b sought, aimed at getting input on rival interference protection proposals (see 2410150045).

Intelsat's Intelsat 33e satellite is "a total loss" due to an anomaly that occurred Saturday, the company said Monday. Migration of customers and service restoration plans are underway across Intelsat's other satellites and third-party satellites, it added. The company is coordinating with Boeing, the 33e manufacturer, and government agencies to analyze data and observations. A failure review board was convened to investigate the anomaly's cause. The geostationary satellite launched in August 2016 and served Europe, Africa and parts of Asia-Pacific. U.S. Space Force said it's tracking nearly 20 pieces of 33e, and that the debris poses no immediate threat.

Satellite operators are lobbying the FCC heavily about protecting earlier-round non-geostationary orbit systems from later-round NGSOs, but the industry is split on metrics. Meeting with the offices of all five FCC commissioners, Intelsat reiterated its backing for a 3% threshold in throughput degradation for long-term interference protection and a sliding-scale in degradation for short-term protection, according to a post in docket 21-456 Monday. It said Intelsat opposes a 0.4% flat degradation. Amazon's Kuiper said that there's industry consensus on numerous issues and that the agency should reject O3b's "bespoke and complicated formula" for calculating short-term interference threshold and instead go with the absolute short-term threshold within the range suggested by it -- 0.1% -- and SpaceX -- 0.4%. Kuiper said O3b's "overly protective" short-term threshold incentivizes incumbents to make unreasonable coordination demands and use its protections against new competitors. In meetings with the offices of the four regular commissioners, O3b said the 0.4% absolute change would hurt NGSO customers and competition. That approach, O3b added, would let later-round systems put higher levels of short-term interference on incumbents than a system in the same processing round could, under current processing round rules. O3b reiterated its call for a Further NPRM seeking input on the different short-term interference metric proposals (see 2410150045).

The Commerce Department's revised space-related export control rules announced Thursday are aimed at "further[ing] U.S. innovation and technology leadership while protecting U.S. national security and foreign policy interests," the agency said. Under the revised rules, Commerce is ending license requirements for exports to Australia, Canada and the U.K. of some items for remote sensing or space-based logistics, assembly or servicing spacecraft. It also is ending license requirements for the export of certain space components to more than 40 nations. And it's proposing to transfer jurisdiction of some defense-related space technology from the State Department's U.S. munitions list to Commerce's control list, meaning Commerce could use license exceptions to allow exports of that tech to allies. The rules changes are "a really big deal [and] the biggest change to space export controls since the Obama Admin reforms," Aerospace Corp. Systems Director Brian Weeden posted on LinkedIn Friday. The changes should help the U.S. "expand [its space] technological leadership into the future," Aerospace Industries Association CEO Eric Fanning said.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project's Release 19 standards will incorporate Iridium technology, Iridium CEO Matt Desch said Thursday as the company announced Q3 earnings. The standards will be issued in Q4 2025. Inclusion in Release 19 opens the door for Iridium's L-band frequencies and technology to be included in industry-standard chipsets, he added. Release 19 will be a big part of Iridium's direct-to-device service, with launch plans in 2026. Revenue for the quarter was $212.7 million, up from $197.6 million from Q3 a year prior.

The number of maritime vessels with geostationary orbit very small aperture terminal satellite connectivity has leveled off at around 42,000, and GSO VSAT use has likely peaked in favor of low earth operator satellite systems, Valour Consultancy blogged Tuesday. Some service providers have reported their GEO VSAT spending dropping 30%-50% in 2023. Valour predicted the number of vessels subscribing to LEO services will surpass GEO VSAT by 2026's end.

SES' proposed $3.1 billion purchase of Intelsat (see 2404300048) won't mean greater concentration in media content distribution, as their customers already have numerous options for distributing content to consumers aside from C-band satellite distribution, the two told the FCC Wednesday in docket 24-267. Instead, New SES would be better able to compete with those other options, they said. The agency should reject any proposed conditions that would jeopardize C-band media distribution, they added. NAB took no position on SES/Intelsat or conditions but said it backed NCTA's urging that the FCC consider the impact the transaction would have on quality and cost of C-band satellite services (see 2410010018).

Autos and trucks with built-in satellite-delivered connectivity will reach 30 million by 2034, ABI Research said Wednesday. Some Chinese original equipment manufacturers are shipping vehicles with the technology already, it added. Ubiquitous connectivity to drivers is a value proposition OEMs have lacked due to limits in cellular network coverage, but it provides a reliable after-sales revenue stream for OEMs. Satellite connectivity is particularly appealing in the U.S., China and the EU, given their strong markets for premium and SUV vehicles, it said. Collaboration between the European Space Agency, 5G Automotive Association and Third Generation Partnership Project will be key to unlocking satellite-connectivity capabilities.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr watched the Sunday launch and landing of SpaceX's Starship heavy launch rocket. "A historic day here in Texas. The most powerful rocket ever built. And an extraordinary booster catch back at the pad. Amazing to see," Carr posted Sunday on X along with short video clips.